The Queen's Panacea
by kalamiah
Summary: "'Here I am,' she almost shouted into the still, quiet air. 'awaiting death, talking casually with the murderer of my entire kingdom.'" Heavily AU, (implied) zelgan, one-shot


**Author's Note: **_My first story on here! It's dark, and angsty. Basically those are the only things I'm good at writing! Odd. Sorry for those who hate Zelgan? It's not my preferred ship, but hey. I love to explore all different sides of the 'evil' characters. Hopefully I did it right. I wanted him to show some weakness. As well as Zelda. I just imagined what would happen if everything that made them who they are was stripped away. They both kinda broke down...haha. Yeah, probably shouldn't have made my first story so AU-ish. review if you would like! help on formatting would be so appreciated because I feel like I'm flailing here. Thank you for reading! God bless:) _

Everything was dark to her now. It was fitting, so much so that she had to laugh, tossing her head back childishly, the uneven wind whipping her loose blonde hair around her face.

He was staring at her, she knew. The feel of his eyes was almost tangible, and she didn't care, not anymore. Normally she would agree, that there was nothing funny about their current situation. But that only added to the hilarity of it all. Normally.

She snorted. Normal was sitting in her vibrantly colored room, the curtains billowing like unfurling sails, her fingers wrapped daintily around a cup of afternoon tea. Normal was not sitting among the crumbled stones of her home, in a world of darkness.

"What's so funny?" he growled. She knew what his face would look like, the corners of his mouth pulled down severely, the pinched, greenish skin stretched over his square jaw, and the brightness of his red hair, neatly pinned up.

"I'm blind," she whispered, saying it aloud for the first time, though it had run through her mind like fire ever since she had realized it. I'm blind. I'm blind. I'm blind.

"But the really funny thing is," she continued, not waiting for a response. "Everyone I knew...or didn't...every single person in the whole country is..."

A giggle forced its way up her throat, coming out as a strained squeal that made her laugh even harder.

"...Zelda?"

There was something lining his voice as he said her name, not concern, by any means, but maybe just a little bit of...fear.

Her lips curled upward. It was ironic. Everything about the whole situation was ironic. It made her hate herself for thinking so, but it was.

"Here I am," she almost shouted into the still, quiet air. "-sitting, awaiting death, talking casually with the murderer of my entire kingdom, of everyone I ever loved, and I can't see a thing."

Zelda turned her head in the direction she thought he was. Smiled. Opened her mouth.

The Queen cursed and screamed, until her throat was too sore, until her lips moved but no more sounds would come. She hoped as loud as she screamed that he was still there, somewhere where he could see the painful tears flowing down her face and feel some semblance of guilt. Eventually, she collapsed onto her hands and knees and just lay there, sobbing silently. Zelda was sick of being the strong-willed leader, sick of people expecting her to never give up, and she wanted him to realize that, because maybe then he would finally just kill her.

Instead, he sighed.

"I loved you once, Zelda."

Closing her eyes, she silently begged him to stop.

"But I became...jealous."

In, and out, she breathed, until his voice became a dull noise in the back of her mind.

"Of your prosperity, mostly. I hated how high you had climbed while I-"

In.

"I was stuck in my own hell."

Her breath caught as she shakily released it again. With a choked laugh she climbed unsteadily to her feet, holding out a wobbily arm.

"Don't you realize that none of this matters anymore?"

Her Hylian ears picked up the gasp he tried to hide.

"We are the only beings in existence, standing on the brink of oblivion. Tell me, Ganondorf, did you think this far?"

"I...yes. With the completed Triforce, I would-"

"You would what?" she snapped, staring straight ahead as fiercely as she could manage.

"There is no more kingdom left to rule. There is no one left to fight."

Ganondorf gasped again, as if just realizing this himself.

"No...I..."

Taking a small step forward, she held out her hand, jumping a little when he took it in his. She had been ready to die, and let Hyrule follow her into the hands of a history no one would remember, but something made her realize she couldn't allow that to happen. Hyrule was the land of the goddesses. It was chosen to survive forever. And it was her duty to make sure it did.

She'd sacrificed so much already, why not this?

"I can offer you a choice."

She could tell he was shocked by the way his grip tightened around her wrist.

"The fact of the matter is, Ganondorf, that you have already made your decision. I showed you my weakness, and you stayed your hand. Obviously you regret what you have done..."

Her lips parted to draw a steady breath. The wind blew around them silently.

The quiet was driving her mad.

"When Link died, I received the Triforce of Courage," she told him, holding up the back of her right hand, the one he wasn't holding.

"With the complete Triforce, we could erase everything that's happened in the past three years."

The hand holding hers suddenly jerked away.

"Why didn't you say that before?" Ganondorf growled.

"That wasn't just a ploy. I was weak, and scared. I haven't felt that way in many lifetimes. Also...there is a catch.

"The cycle would end with us. No more Zelda, no more Ganondorf, no more Link. The Triforce would be returned to the Sacred Realm and the door sealed. It would rest for eternity, because there would be no one worthy to bear it. No matter what we do, you and I will die. Then, because of our Curse, you, Link and I will resurrect into an empty wasteland of a world, over and over, forever."

"How are you saying this so easily? I did this. I ruined...everything. And here you stand, stoically facing the consequences of someone else's actions, as always."

There was quiet again, and this time it was broken by a low scream. Zelda reached out a hand and touched his back. The great demon king was doubled over, clutching at his chest, screaming.

"I haven't felt guilt in a long time," he whispered.

She said nothing, but kept her hand where it was.

When he finally quieted, his back dropped away and she realized he had dropped to his knees on the floor. A silence fell that lasted for days, and it didn't matter because time had no meaning to them anymore.

At last, Zelda opened her mouth to speak. She reached up with a hand to feel her eyes, and felt tears.

"Like you said, I stoically face the consequences. Even if I did not commit the crime, I find it the best way to give forgiveness...and find it."

As she spoke, she held her fingertips lightly over her scarred eyes.

"Once this is all over, I will finally be able to forgive you for taking my sight."

"What about...everything else?"

The Queen was amazed at the innocence in his voice. A year ago she had been practically cowering in his presence, and now she was standing above him, with every right to end him then and there. A tiny part of her wanted to, but it would do no good.

"You mean..."

Unbidden, a scene flashed through her memory.

_"Princess, are you...going to be okay?"_

_She tightened her grip on his hand. Cursed._

_"No, Link. goddesses, no."_

_He smiled. It was such an odd sight, with the little stream of blood going from the corner of his mouth to his chin. Zelda could not miss the red blooming_ _from the center of his chest either. _

_"I think...I will be," he muttered, as his eyes were fluttering closed. _

_"I know you will be." Somehow she managed to keep the pain from lining her voice. She didn't want his last memory of her to be that weepy little princess he had first met. _

_"Really? I can't wait for it, Zel."_

_"Wait for what?" _

_Link lifted his arm in the air and gestured to the dark sky. She wished it hadn't been storming, because she remembered times when he would go outside just to stare at the clear blue sky, and the child-like look that would pass over his face. _

_"You know. What comes after. I'll get to see all my old friends again." _

_His head fell weakly to the side, and he continued mumbling. Zelda laid her head next to his to make out the words._

_"...and Navi, and Saria, and Fi, and-oh, do you think Midna will be there too? I miss her." He smiled a smile so big, it was goofy looking. It looked like whatever realization he had just come to had lifted a weight off his chest. _

_"I can finally tell her..."_

_His whispered nonsense faded, and it looked almost as if he had fallen asleep mid-sentence, his mouth open just a little, and his eyes closed peacefully._

_Rain began to pour, and she finally allowed herself to cry. _

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?"

"..."

She rubbed her temples and prayed he would not continue the subject further. Ganondorf obliged her.

"What do I have to do?"

More than anything else, in that moment, she wished should could see the look on his face. Not to know if he was being truthful, because she knew he was, but to have some closure, to know, completely, that his man hated himself for what he had done.

"What if there was another way?" she whispered.

"Are you backing out on me, your highness?"

His tone made her feel weak for being so sentimental. She drew back into her cynicism and stretched her arms out, palms up.

"You have to decide. Us, or the rest of Hyrule. How much did you really love me?"

He didn't move.

"You can't put that on a man like me, Zelda. Do you think I'm strong enough to do the right thing?"

She only smiled.

"I think you could be, if you wanted to."

There was another silence, and the back of her hand tingled. His footsteps echoed in her ears, speeding up the beat of her heart. With an odd gentleness, he slid his calloused palms across hers to grip her wrists. For a minute nothing moved except the wind. Zelda couldn't breathe. She thought back to Link's last moments. Was there truly a place for them somewhere...after, now that she could finally die? Would she too see everyone she had lost?

A resplendent golden light spilled into her vision, washing away the darkness.

_"I thought I loved you once, Ganondorf. You betrayed me, but as I said, now...I can forgive you."_

It was cold outside, as it always was that time of year. Vendors from the outlying villages would be bringing in their harvested crops to the market, and Castle Town's residents would be buying them to be prepared for the coming winter. People bustled about the market, while others just tried not to be swept up in the current of moving bodies. A little girl pulled on her mother's skirt, begging for something or the other. Across the square a little boy shyly handed a small flower to a girl already wearing a crown of them. She accepted his with a gentle smile anyway. A group of musicians played off to the side, adding an upbeat tempo to the scene.

As their lives went on, the world hummed beneath them, as it always would: power, wisdom, and courage threading through its veins, undisturbed.

It was quiet enough to drive one mad.


End file.
